At this time of year, teams have some preliminary discussions about more trades than you do with your buddies in your fantasy league — teams will even ask about guys they never would trade, just to get a sense of their market value.

There is a Mississippi River of back-channel or down-low trade conversations that take place, what we hear is snippets when a reporter gets a bucket full of the water and reports it. Almost none of that chatter ever becomes an actual trade.

The trade rumor that made the rounds before the game started — Garnett for Caron Butler and Eric Bledsoe — was floated from the Clippers’ perspective, but the Celtics don’t have any interest. It would take a lot more than that to get KG out of Boston and that’s before anyone gets around to asking him if he wanted to waive his no-trade clause to make it happen.

And if you think that’s just the Boston side, here is Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com.

To be clear, in a double negative sort of way: I'm not going to say Clippers acquiring KG is NOT an option. There's just nothing doing now

Funny i remember some people on here laughing when it was reported that the clips were interested in varejao of the cavs and the clips offered the cavs deandre Jordan only to have the cavs ask for Bledsoe. 90% of you laughed and said take the offer and now Jordan has regressed alot. Plus it seems the clips are trying real hard to replace him. Seems Chris Grant was right again to ask for more